Poster display device

ABSTRACT

The poster display device includes a base upon which is mounted a poster frame. The means for mounting the poster frame onto the base comprise a spring structure interconnecting the lower portion of the poster frame to the base. In one embodiment, the spring structure comprises a pair of spaced-apart coil springs which extend between the frame and the base. In another embodiment, the spring structure is an elongated torsion spring mounted transversely of the base. The poster frame has a pair of spaced-apart brackets on the lower edge thereof which engage the torsion springs. The poster frame, which normally extends vertically upwardly from the base, has a backing member mounted thereon for receiving posters or like advertising or other media. The surface area of the backing member is relatively large. The spring structure upon which the frame is mounted permits the frame and backing member to deflect downwardly upon the application of a force thereto, as for example, the wind when the structure is located out of doors. The frame may deflect in either direction without danger of tipping the base. The stronger the applied force, the more the frame will deflect downwardly thus reducing the component of any force tending to topple the display device.

United States Patent Sarkisian 1 Mar. 7, 1972 [54] POSTER DISPLAY DEVICE[72] Inventor: Robert Sarkisian, 8644 Woodside Park Drive, Oak Park,Mich. 48237 [22] Filed: Sept. 11, 1967 [21] Appl. No.: 670,511

[52] [1.8. CI ..40/l H, /145 A, 248/160 [51] Int. Cl. ..G09t 7/00 [58]Field of Search ..40/l25 H, 145 A, 138; 248/160, 248/373; 297/296 [56]References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,532,865 4/1925 Beck ..40/l A UX1,541,200 6/1925 Thomson ..40/ H 2,165,704 7/1939 Hood ..40/ A 1,750,1183/1930 Mueller et a1 ..40/138 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 339,32512/1930 Great Britain ..40/ 138 Primary Examiner-Robert W. MichellAssistant Examiner-Richard Carter Attorney-Whittemore, Hulbert & Belknap[57] ABSTRACT The poster display device includes a base upon which ismounted a poster frame. The means for mounting the poster frame onto thebase comprise a spring structure interconnecting the lower portion ofthe poster frame to the base. In one embodiment, the spring structurecomprises a pair of spacedapart coil springs which extend between theframe and the base. In another embodiment, the spring structure is anelongated torsion spring mounted transversely of the base. The posterframe has a pair of spaced-apart brackets on the lower edge thereofwhich engage the torsion springs.

The poster frame, which normally extends vertically upwardly from thebase, has a backing member mounted thereon for receiving posters or likeadvertising or other media. The surface area of the backing member isrelatively large. The spring structure upon which the frame is mountedpermits the frame and backing member to deflect downwardly upon theapplication of a force thereto, as for example, the wind when thestructure is located out of doors. The frame may deflect in eitherdirection without danger of tipping the base. The stronger the appliedforce, the more the frame will deflect downwardly thus reducing thecomponent of any force tending to topple the display device.

5 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMAR 1:972 3,646,696

VINVENTOR 05627 JAEK/S/AIV ATTORNEYS POSTER DISPLAY DEVICE BACKGROUND OFTHE INVENTION Poster display devices of the general type to which thepresent invention relates have long been in widespread use. The displaydevices are normally used out of doors to advertise services orproducts, for example, in front of theatres and gas stations. One of theproblems which has been encountered in the past with such poster displaydevices is that they are frequently tipped over by the wind.

Conventionally, such display devices have comprised a base having anupstanding rectangular hanger structure extending upwardly therefrom.The frame for the advertising poster has been pivotally mounted to thetop of the hanger structure. The poster frame has thus been free toswing in a manner similar to a pendulum under the force of a wind. Whenthe wind dies down, the poster frame settles in a central position as aresult of gravity. Such devices, in practice, will topple under theforce ofa strong wind.

The present invention overcomes this problem by providing a poster framewhich is mounted to a base by a spring structure which permits theposter frame to be deflected downwardly rather than upwardly whereby thecomponent of the wind force tending to tip the device is diminished asthe wind velocity increases.

SUMMARY OFTHE INVENTION The display device includes a base upon which anupstanding poster frame is mounted by means of a spring structure. Thespring structure is connected to the lower portion of the frame at atleast a pair of locations. The spring structure normally maintains theframe in an upright position. The spring structure is yieldable topermit downward deflection of the frame in either direction along anaxis generally parallel to the frame structure.

IN THE DRAWING FIG. I is a perspective view ofa poster display device inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Ill

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 6-6 ofFIG. 4 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring first to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 it will benoted that the poster display device 10 comprises a base structure 12having a frame structure 14 mounted thereon by means of springs 16, I8.

The frame structure I4 is rectangular in shape and has side members 20,22, top member 24 and bottom member 26. A rigid backboard or panel 28 ismounted within the frame. The backing member 28 may be fabricated of,for example, a material such as masonite or a metallic sheet materialsuch as aluminum. It will be appreciated that the backing member 28presents a relatively large surface area which, when subjected to theforce of a strong wind, would normally tend to tip the entire deviceover.

The backing member 28 is adapted to have mounted thereon an advertisingposter or the like. Such a poster may be mounted on either or both sidesof the backing member. The means for mounting the poster may be anadhesive or like means conventionally used for mounting of posters. Onepreferred poster holding mechanism is illustrated by my Pat. No.3,310,90l, issued Mar. 28, 1967. In that patent, the frame members areconstructed in two parts with the inner portions being hingedly fastenedto the outer portions to permit opening thereoffor the reception ofaposter. Spring means are provided to bias the inner portions intocontact with the backing member so that when the inner portions areclosed, they will remain in position and clampingly engage the poster.

The base structure 12 comprises a pair of elongated spacedapartgenerally parallel tubular members 30, 32 which are interconnected by atubular crossmember 34 which extends therebetween.

Referring representatively to the tubular member 30, each tubular membercomprises a first horizontally disposed portion 36 which serves as oneground-engaging foot, a second upwardly inclined portion 38, a thirdhorizontally extending portion 40, a fourth downwardly inclined portion42 and a fifth horizontally directed portion 44 which serves as a secondground-engaging foot. It should be noted that each of the tubularmembers 30, 32 extends at substantially right angles to the plane of thebacking member 28. Thus, any force directed against the backing memberwill tend to tip the display device about one pair of the spaced-apartfeet of the tubular members 30, 32.

A V-shaped mounting plate 46, 48 is secured to the base at each junctureof the crossmember 34. A spring mounting member 50, 52 is secured oneach plate 46, 48. A similar spring-mounting member 54, 56 is secured tothe undersurface of the bottom frame member 26 adjacent each endthereof. As will be noted in FIG. 3, the spring-mounting members areoppositely disposed. Each of these members has an externally threadedcylindrical portion 58, 60 extending therefrom. The springs l6, 18 whichare coil springs, are threaded onto the threaded portions 58, 60 tothereby secure the frame structure 14 to the base structure 12.

Operation of the poster display device may now be understood. Referringfirst to FIG. I, it will be noted that the frame structure 14 normallyis biased to an upright position by the springs 16, 18. Upon theapplication of a force against the backing member 28, the framestructure will deflect downwardly as shown in FIG. 2. The greater theforce applied, the further the deflection. FIG. 2 illustrates an almostcompletely deflected frame. In the position illustrated in FIG. 2, theeffective force against the display device tending to tip the device isnegligible. It will be appreciated that as the frame structure isdeflected downwardly, the effective wind force is reduced much in themanner of a sail on a boat coming into the wind.

Several features of the invention may now be understood. The featuresare as follows:

I. Leverage The bottom of the frame structure 14 is mounted closelyadjacent the base structure 12. The mounting plates 46, 48, to which thesprings are attached are in turn positioned a short distance from theground (the vertical distance between the feet of the base and thecentral horizontal portion 40). There is, therefore, only a short leveraction between the point of attachment of the frame structure and theground. Thus, the force tending to tip the structure is minimized.

2. Display Base The tubular members 30, 32 are relatively long withrespect to the lever arm above mentioned. In one preferred embodiment,the ratio of the length of one-half of the base to the lever arm, thatis, the distance from the ground to the mounting plates 46, 48, is 5:1.The greater this ratio, the more the component of a horizontal windforce tending to tip the structure is reduced.

3. Force Applied Mounting of the bottom of the frame directly to thebase by means of the springs results in the entire force applied to theframe acting to deflect the frame structure downwardly. This is opposedto a display device of this general type wherein the frame structure ispivotally mounted intermediate its upper and lower ends. In such aconstruction, the portion of the wind force above the pivot point tendsto tilt the device in one direction while the force below the pivotpoint tends to pivot the device in the other direction. Assuming thatthe pivot point is closer to the top than it is to the bottom, therewill be a resultant force tending to rotate the sign. However, this isless than the main wind force and additionally there is always a forcetending to tip the entire structure over.

4. Twin Supports The use of a pair of springs l6, 18 as opposed to theuse ofa single spring to support the frame structure prevents canting ortwisting of the sign around a vertical axis. The frame structure isconstrained to deflect in the manner illustrated in FIG. 2 rather thantwisting which may cause damage to the spring structure and may resultin tipping of the device.

5. Free-Standing Device The poster display device stands freely on theground support surface as opposed to being anchored in some fashion inthe ground. This results in an economical device because there is noinstallation expense. Even though the device is free-standing, it willnot tip as has previously been discussed.

The springs l6, 18 are wound with the coils thereof in compression, thatis, the coils press against one another. An optimum intercoil pressureis chosen for each different sized display device. The springs are woundwith the maximum possible intercoil pressure because this permitsreduction in the diameter of the spring wire and thus reduces the costof the spring. However, the coils cannot be overly tight else the springwill not deflect at the proper pressure (which is just below that whichwould cause tipping of the device). Additional advantages of this springconstruction are that it holds the poster frame erect under mild windpressures thus avoiding constant swinging motion of the top portion ofthe frame, and the spring, for a given wire type and size, is strongerthus raising the frame faster from the down position after the windforce diminishes.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 illustrate an alternate embodiment of the invention.The poster display device 62 is in many respects similar to the posterdisplay device 10. The base structure 64 and frame structure 66 aresubstantially identical to those previously described. However, thespring structure has been modified.

A torsion spring 68 extends between and interconnects the spaced-aparttubular base members 70, 72. The torsion spring 68 has a square crosssection as shown in FIG. 5. The ends of the torsion spring arecylindrical as illustrated in FIG. 6. A bracket 76, 78 is provided oneach of the tubular members 70, 72 to receive the ends of the torsionspring. Each bracket has a setscrew 80, 82 to engage the ends of thespring. The setscrews permit angular adjustment of the spring 68 to theend that the frame structure 66 may be oriented in a vertical plane.

A pair of brackets 84, 86 extend from the underside of the framestructure 66. The brackets 84, 86 have square openings to receive thetorsion spring. A setscrew 88 is provided to engage the torsion springand prevent longitudinal movement of the frame structure therealong. Aswill be appreciated, the spring 68 will yield under a turning force andtwist about the anchored ends thereof to permit deflection of the framestructure in the manner illustrated in FIG. 2.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. A display device comprising an unanchored base, said base including apair of spaced-apart elongated ground-engaging means, an upstandingframe structure having a relatively large surface area for receivingdisplay indicia, a spring structure mounting the frame structure ontothe base, said spring structure comprising an elongated torsion springextending entirely across the base, a pair of spaced-apart bracketssecuring the frame structure to the torsion spring, said springstructure being mounted centrally of the ground-engaging means with theplane of the frame structure at substantially right angles to thelongitudinal axis of said ground-engaging means, the surface area of theframe being of a size which normally causes displacement of the baseupon application of a sufficient wind force thereagainst, said springstructure normally maintaining the frame structure in an uprightposition and bein yieldable in either direction along an axis generallypara e to the plane of the frame structure to permit downward deflectionthereof, the area of the frame structure being proportioned to the sizeof the base to result in downward deflection of the frame structure upona force applied thereto without displacement of the base.

2. The display device defined in claim 1 and further characterized inthat the ends of said torsion springs are generally cylindrical, a pairof brackets on the base each rotatably receiving one cylindrical end ofthe torsion spring, and fastening means for engagement with the ends ofthe torsion spring to secure the torsion spring against rotation, saidfastening means being releasable to permit angular adjustment of thetorsion spring.

3. A display device comprising an unanchored base, said base comprisinga pair of spaced-apart generally parallel elongated ground-engagingmembers, a pair of spaced-apart coil springs extending upwardly from thebase, an upstanding frame structure secured to and supported solely bythe upper ends of the springs, said frame structure having a relativelylarge surface area for receiving display indicia, the surface area ofthe frame being of a size which would normally cause displacement of thebase upon application of a sufficient wind force thereagainst, saidsprings being yieldable in a direction to permit downward deflection ofthe frame structure, the coils of said springs being in compression withrespect to each other, the amount of compression being such that thesprings will deflect upon application of a force thereto less than thatnecessary to tip the device, the area of the frame structure beingproportioned to the size of the base to result in downward deflection ofthe frame structure upon a force being applied thereto withoutdisplacement of the base.

4. The display device in accordance with claim 3 and furthercharacterized in that the central portion of each ground-engaging memberis raised a short distance above the ground level to provide a minimallever action tending to tip the display device upon application of aforce to the frame structure, said coil springs being positioned on saidcentral portions.

5. The device in accordance with claim 4 and further characterized inthat the ratio of the distance of said central portions of theground-engaging members above ground level to one-half the length of theground-engaging members is approximately 1:5.

1. A display device comprising an unanchored base, said base including apair of spaced-apart elongated ground-engaging means, an upstandingframe structure having a relatively large surface area for receivingdisplay indicia, a spring structure mounting the frame structure ontothe base, said spring structure comprising an elongated torsion springextending entirely across the base, a pair of spaced-apart bracketssecuring the frame structure to the torsion spring, said springstructure being mounted centrally of the ground-engaging means with theplane of the frame structure at substantially right angles to thelongitudinal axis of said ground-engaging means, the surface area of theframe being of a size which normally causes displacement of the baseupon application of a sufficient wind force thereagainst, said springstructure normally maintaining the frame structure in an uprightposition and being yieldable in either direction along an axis generallyparallel to the plane of the frame structure to permit downwarddeflection thereof, the area of the frame structure being proportionedto the size of the base to result in downward deflection of the framestructure upon a force applied thereto without displacement of the base.2. The display device defined in claim 1 and further characterized inthat the ends of said torsion springs are generally cylindrical, a pairof brackets on the base each rotatably receiving one cylindrical end ofthe torsion spring, and fastening means for engagement with the ends ofthe torsion spring to secure the torsion spring against rotation, saidfastening means being releasable to permit angular adjustment of thetorsion spring.
 3. A display device comprising an unanchored base, saidbase comprising a pair of spaced-apart generally parallel elongatedground-engaging members, a pair of spaced-apart coil springs extendingupwardly from the base, an upstanding frame structure secured to andsupported solely by the upper ends of the springs, said frame structurehaving a relatively large surface area for receiving display indicia,the surface area of the frame being of a size which would normally causedisplacement of the base upon application of a sufficient wind forcethereagainst, said springs being yieldable in a direction to permitdownward deflection of the frame structure, the coils of said springsbeing in compression with respect to each other, the amount ofcompression being such that the springs will deflect upon application ofa force thereto less than that necessary to tip the device, the area ofthe frame structure being proportioned to the size of the base to resultin downward deflection of the frame structure upon a force being appliedthereto without displacement of the base.
 4. The display device inaccordance with claim 3 and further characterized in that the centralportion of each ground-engaging member is raised a short distance abovethe ground level to provide a minimal lever actiOn tending to tip thedisplay device upon application of a force to the frame structure, saidcoil springs being positioned on said central portions.
 5. The device inaccordance with claim 4 and further characterized in that the ratio ofthe distance of said central portions of the ground-engaging membersabove ground level to one-half the length of the ground-engaging membersis approximately 1:5.